= \iClimate Change | Natural Resourc iTHE COBAR TES GREEN ScHocL. ET eK ACTIN Book Editor (Content & Direction) Sumita Dasoupta Copy & Research Ajanta Sikdar, Max Frieckich, Prachi Guron and Rama Srinivasan Cover and di Surya Sen and Karno Guhathakurta Mlustrations Arundyuti Basu and Rustam Vania Photographs Sayantoni Palchoudhuri Layout Surender Singh Production, Rakesh Shrivastava and Gundhar Das We are grateful for contributions from: Ashish Shah, Akshyete Suryanarayan, Anubhuti Kapoor, Aryaman Anand, Bobby Chauhan, Khadija Mariam, Shanker Musafir,Rothin Datta, Sarthak Choudhary, Stefanie Sieioff, Sumedha and Vibha Mithal We are grateful to our editorial advisors: Aditya Batra Souparno Banerjee, Kaushik Das Gupta and Aditya Ghosh © 2011 Centre for Science and Environment ISBN: 978-81-86906-53-8 Material from this publication can be used, but only with acknowledgement. ad Published by Centre for Science and Environment lvl 41, Tughiakabad Institutional Area, New Deli 110.062 Ph: 91-11-29956110 - $124 6394 - 6399 Fax: 91-11-29955879 Email se@csendia.ony J) Website: wav.cseindia. oro Printed at Multi Colour Services, New Delhi| Contents limate Change: How to make sense of it all Section 1: Rising Temperatures Section 2: Greenhouse Gases Section 3: Global Warming Section 4: Equity and Negotiations Natural Resources: How to share and care... Section 1:Water Section 2: Ai. Section 3: Land Section 4: Energy Section 5: Waste . References... 1 04 08 4 19 28 a 55 m 98 18 SS,THE GOBNR TIMES GREEN SCHL ET WORE ACTIIT Book ver the past 25 years or So, environment has appeared in different avatars in India’s education arena. Sometimes as a handmaiden of mainstream subjects wedged between the pages of chemistry or history textbooks; in others as a common theme of all extra-curricular activities. From taking ‘nature walks’ in local parks to making scrap books on local fauna. But never, till now, was it a part of the formal grading system in schools. Environment ceased to be a sideshow recently, after the country’s apex curriculum setter and the two dominant education boards decided to allocate scores to the subject in the crucial school- leaving examinations. In a scenario where every single mark is viewed as a stepping stone to a future career, there could not have been a more significant move. Especially when it comes loaded with interesting conditions. As per the current guidelines, the assessment will not be been based on the conventional ‘study-text-books-write-examination’ mode. Grades will depend on how active the examinee has been ‘on the ground’. Predictably, there has been a flurry of action ever since this diktat was passed. Treating environment as a living, breathing and ‘doing’ subject is not a task that teachers have been trained to perform. There are no ready resources available, no textbooks or reference books that fit easily in this mould. But as always, teachers have risen stoutly to the occasion and come up with remarkable ideas to turn environment into a tangible, grade-able entity. This publication is an attempt to lend these teachers a helping hand Featuring the friendly neighbourhood eco-guru Pandit Gobar Ganesh as the storyteller, this book unfolds in two sections:ronana0y.) a Climate Change: How to make sense of it all and Natural Resources: How to share and care. Here, the key issues selected adhere strictly to curriculum guidelines. However, they are introduced to students not as a paragraph to memorise, but as an activity to do. Each activity sheet begins with a Curriculum Connect, a brief note to teachers that matches suggested assignments to the curriculum stream (Sciences, social sciences, etc.) and to the class level (primary, mid or senior). Likewise, Gobar Gyan, a succinct backgrounder that precedes each activity set, explains to students why they are being asked to do the task. We have made a determined effort to make each of these four-page activity sheets self contained; teachers and students should not have to hunt around for additional sources of information. Each activity sheet includes references to external information materials, online linkages and relevant data. Readers will notice some overlap between the two sections. We meant that to happen, to press home the message that both are inherently intertwined. The causes and effects of Climate Change are imprinted on Natural Resources and the two cannot be separated. We hope our réaders will have as much fun acting out this book as we had putting it together. And that it will help them choose, with some clarity, the role they would like to play as future managers of this planet. — Sumita DasguptaTN Lara ek a Fselintekie td were humbeted. The rising river Leon ee er ere tember, it did. ” area i i I a } i: Climate ee a Pes _ How to make sense of itall- Who wants to know about “clmate GODHUL: But Pandit, not found earlier. Would that this malnourished Change... AGAIN?! Haven't | there is stuff! still don't that not be a great category is likely to swell wwe had enough?” Nope. understand. Like why are | disaster? enotmousiy in the future. These are not my words. | we being bombarded with | Yes, temperature rise will am just trying to mind-read | CCdata missiles from every | GODMULI: (waving her affect agriculture too. you here... Ok folks, thereis | direction, everyday? Dowe | hands in agitation) Pethaps | Especially in countries like an overload of information | really have tobe expertson | even greater than we can | India where agriculture is ‘on Climate Change now, Climate Change? What imagine, Pandit. India’s largely rain-fed, hence and you already know all | difference will it make in health records are quite heavily dependant on the that you need to, right? our everyday life? dismal. With almost half of | monsoons. Experts say the our children below three production of key erops like SSHAMEK: You can say that NITHI: Ahhh...Glaciers | yearsandonetthird of the | wheat, soybean, mustard, again Panditj. The buzz.on | are too far away to lose womentolk faling in the ‘groundnut and potato will Climate Change (CO) is, sleep over, and natural ‘underweight’ or drop with every mounting turning me deaf. | have disasters might happen ‘malnourished’ category, we | centigrade. Vield of various crammed so much data that | anyway, right? Now let me | arejustnot strong enough | kinds of fruits and vegetable mny brain is overfiowing with | ask you something else. to fight this battle! will plummet, And of course, it-Here, letme show vou. | Whatif there is news of with less and less food to (Starts counting on his malaria epidemics breaking Thebadnews is | go around, more and more fingers dramatically) !know | out every year in India, Climate Change isa super | instead of every five to critical issue. That the heat | seven years (as per the generated by the current pattern)? What if greenhouse gases (GHGs) | they turn more virulent is melting glaciers in the than ever and invade areas Arctic, So huge volumes of | that have never reported water are pouring into incidence of the disease ocean beds, raising their before? Would you want to levels dangerously and know more then? making them spill over and eat up large portions of SHANI: Come on, coastaltands. also know | Panditj, You cannot directly that CChas already started | tink malaria breekouts with triggering dramatic changes | Climate Change! in weather patterns. It will, become evenworseinthe | F Yes can. future. Rainfall will be The National Physical more erratic and Laboratory, New Delhi, has unpredictable. Stormsand | donea study on predicted hurricanes will become impacts of Climate Change more frequent. Sowill heat | on human health, with a waves and droughts, particular focus on malaria, ‘Threats of naturalhazards, | The findings leave no room ranging from cloudbursts, | fordoubts at all. The avalanches, landslides, to._| increase in temperature, glacial lake outburst humidity and the floods (GLOFs),mudflows | inconsistent rainfall and earthquakes will patiemn —allimpacts of intensity. the changing climate — will nurture malarial a Caughs out mosquitoes. They will loudly) Alright, |am survive longer; breed more convinced. Don’t run out profusely; and spread in of breath, regions where they wereClimate Change? people would join the under-fed camp. It's simple math, really SHAMUNG: My god Pandiiji.|am frightened to even think about it, Do you really believe this is going ‘to happen? ANDITHI:((ooking grave and unhappy):| wish could say its all a stupid joke. | really do. But !am afraid its not. Its already happening, Shamik, Ask the apple growers in Himachal Pradesh, So many of them have been forced to move to higher altitudes, just to ensure that their crop gets the chill thatit requires to bloom. The orchards are getting too waim for the apples. GODHULI: Italladds up, Shamik. We should have figured out the conse- ‘quences even before Pandit told us about them. Along with the heat, frequent droughts and floods are bound to disrupt the harvest, too. (Looking, up anxiously). | just thought of something else Ifthe changing climate is. going to breed mosquitoes, would affect insects, pests, microbos and pathogens too, won'tit? And these play a very crucial role in productivity, How will the farmers cope? IDITHIs| am glad you have asked me this Godhuli. Itwill be a severe blow for the farmers. With productivity stumping their livelihood will be at risk. And they are not the only ones, Dther communities, too, are in serious danger of losing their income. Like the fisherfolk, the cattle rearers.. SHAM: Now my head is reeling. How are they concerned? PANDITHI:Do you know that seven species of fish, including sand lobsters, have disappeated from the shores of Maharshtra during the pest five years? Hilsa population has dropped dramaticaly in the Ganga tributaries, Fishermen heve to take their boats to deeper seas insearch of the Indian Mackarel, because it has retreated further from the coasts. Rise in ocean temperature isthe cause ofall this underwater upheaval. And the victims ate the fishing community GODHULE:The animals are feeling the heat too? INDIT}I: Studies show that the shooting mercury level has teken a toll on the health and reprocuctive systems of cattle and livestock. Sorrow can you see how many communities and their economies have been hurt by this, phenomenon called Climate Change? “SHANI In fact, tis Hurt- ing each one of ust If food production is affected, and industries lke fisheries, dairy, meat suffer a set- back, how can the country's economy remain stable? INIT}: (patting Shamik oon the back) You know all of you are really smart. Of course India’s economy is facinga serious threat! In fact, the global trade arena ison the verge ofan up- heaval, es countries which were til now exporters of food grains are being forced toturn into imports. GODMULI: Pandit, we were so sure that we were experts on Climate Change that we were actually resisting more information being handed out to us! Now! feel | know so little, Please help us out here. Tl: Of course | will. Because you, the future citizens of Planet Earth, will have to face its impact. You need to learn to build cities, roads and villages in such @ way that they are able to weather natural catastrophes of monstrous, proportions. You have to protect human beings, animals, and all other living organisms against the on- slaught. You have to master the art of Ciimate proofing. Inthe next few pages | will tell you how to take the frst step. Then the reins are in yourhands, folks!Me Gaba fae peratures ‘The Earth's Climate System is not about changing weather or seasons alone. It’s a complex and interactive process that involves a lot more components like the atmosphere, land surface, oceans and other water bodies; and this entire planet-ful of living things. The weather has always changed over time, Some- times due to factors that are a part of the ate System itself, and at ot times due to ‘external forces’. Now these external forces can be natural — for Instance, volcanic eruptions, solar variations. Or, human-induced. In other words, we are actively stirring up changes in the chemical compostion of the atmosphere, and triggering Climate Change. TL TT SS ETWhy talk about Rising temperatures? A at ‘The world is gotting warmer and how. The scientists have proved this fact and ive are fiving witnesses of it. During the last century, the earth warmed at an average of 08°C That has never occurred fnearth’s history before, Prognoses predict that this clobal warming could result in arse in temperature of more than 6° C until 2100. The consequences of such drastic Climate Change would be devastating But why is global warming happening? What have been the consequences so far? What isthe greenhouse effect? What was the climate the past? Let's ty to understand the earth’s climate alittle better and find answers ‘0 these questions in this Activity Sheet fireen Scheels Network Class Date Curicutum Connect: These activites can be used by tne higher seconeary students to develop a ‘deeper understanding of environmental phenomena and their ramification at all evels- social and ‘economical. Students can take up these activities for their project work on studying village/local profile oftheir residential area for political science, geography and science subjects. Gobar Gyan Fossil fuels and global warming We all agree that Climate Change 's a burning isue in world poltics and needs immediate attention, The use of fossil fuels is the single mast important cause cf global warming, So what is the solution for global warming? Substituting fossil fuels with energy fra renewable sources i, the most logical answer to the problem. Renewable energy, simply pu, is eneray drawn from an inexhaustible source suchas sunight, wind, fowing water or biological growth based fuels such as bio diesel. Micro hyde povter, a widely used form of renewable energy, has Fowing water as its source of energy and produces no carbon dioxide (CO,), a major greenhouse gas. Why is the Earth a greenhouse? ‘Theatmosphere, a gaseous layer, surrounds the Earth. Sunlight enters the atmosphere and warms the land and water which raciate this energy hack inthe form of heat radiation. However, some gases, called ‘greenhouse gases’, don't lt the heat radiation go through. Like the panes of a greenhouse, they reflect itback tothe ground and hence rap the heat. Essential this isa natural process. However, humans have been significantly increasing the amount cf greenhouse gases inthe atmosphere, mostly by burning fossil fuels and forest. This is why more and ‘mote heat trapped and the earth is becoming warmer, Global warming: Local level Has your area become warmer during the last $0 years? Find cut by conducting interviews with elder people of your community f you live in a rural area, make sure you ask the farmers as they know the most about weather Here, some questions you could ask Name: Profession: Ages When was the hottest summer? When was the coldest winter? Ii you compare the temperatures between when you were young and today, can you observe any changes? Hf yes, what are thase changes?Have you observed any other weather changes? If there are any changes, how have they affected your end your family’s life? TW coAR TES cS Sool sETul ACTHETY Book If there are changes, how have they affected the nature of your area? CConduct this interview with four people. Wit a report on how the weather has changed in your arealregion. Activity —2 Build your own greenhouse To understand how a greenhouse works, its best to build one yourself. For this, you will nea © 4 mettes of metal wire (The wire should be bendable but stiff enough to keep its shape when bended, You can use telephone wire) 2 square metres of transparent plastic fol 1 oll of transparent tape 1 bor, sized around 10 cubic centimeties preferably cube-shaped 5 pages of white paper Ghe A watch 40 ice cubes ofthe same shape and size Get started ‘a. Fist, construct the skeleton of your greenhouse, Bend the wire inthe form of a cube: Each side should be 30 cm long (approximately) bb. Paste one side of the cube-shaped box with white paper. Next, wrap the box with plastic fol € Take another sheet of paper and fold it as shown inthe picture below. Each side should be & cm long See how greenhouse gases work The frst experiment showcases a world without greenhouse gases where all the heat radiation escapes into space Put up the skeleton of your greenhouse in a sunny but windless place, Put the box in the middle of it with the white side up and an ice cube on it. Shade the ice cube with the folded paper. Track the melting time and repeat the experiment two more times. Note your data here. Day1= Day. = Day3= ~ Average = 2. The second experiment showcases a world with the natural greenhouse effect. Here, greenhouse gases radiate back some ofthe Earth's heat while some heat escapes into space. There are stil holes in the greenhouse layer. ‘Wrap one layer of foil around five sides of the wire cube, Punch small holes into the fol, Put the ice cube asin the previous experiment and measure the melting time. Day 1= Day2= Day3= ‘Average = € eure i3. The third experiment shows the enhanced greenhouse eftect, caused by human intervention. Here, there are no more ‘holes’ and @ bigger share of the sun's heat is trapped. Wrap more layers of foil around the ex'sting layer end repeat experiment 2 [base ay ?= [Baya — Now compare your data, Shorter melting time indicates higher temperatures. in which experiment is the temperature highest? Exolain why Is the entire world really getting warmer? {@) lotus not be confised by the diferent arashs and colar. (2) This the tonperatine axis of he Yes, itis. The i Dieta! scent ung dstctmethodsRaveconetosiohty | — | Gagrana fraps tam 136 . e chart Wight | | Piterc eatin fer cuss rene hee” | LSet Rr tom 122 115 contains important data about CCimate Change. t shows how the average temperature has charged over the past 150 years. The callouts will ive you all the information you need to understand itl ‘Ss We can rast hs data —— coureuz mm ene The aines aka ves ‘he average lonal temperature 2 sea ev fr each year toy show She average a i preweus 10 yeus: wee G95 mmm Lugina eta. 2005 (9). misharzenal ine mas 18. 1f me raph va ‘Sbeow ths ie tinea tate weage Adivity—3 tenpaure ataca vel waa elo 1 tae Feeling hot? Here's why. vo BI Points A, B and C are con the e tine aris Write about |] This ithe 8 dvatacjguenjoat || Emenee Vetoes 36 A (Geamplel: This point || meauredihe marks 1910.This year the || emeratiee £2) The yay hae giveth average bal] Lg gioba average tempera || (ematge” fenpesive st sno oe yur tue at sea level was. || guise Ce] ayy 13.6" C. The average || PETER 90902000 temperature at sea level of the previous decad= was 13.58° C. Soue: Go Fath SosSneet Rear OO), arora Poalon Gira Cane The period around 1910 marks the beginning of an almost constant temperature rse that continued until the 1940s, Now, ansiver the following questions: Wihat time span is covered by the graph? ee When was the hottest decade? ‘When was the coldest decade? By how mary degrees has the temperature increased between those periods? \Whatis the key information youhave learnt from the graph? 5 5 i 7Activity —4 Climate in the past What makes the current Climate Change so dangerous is its speed. Never before in Farth’s history has the climate changed as fast as itis changing now Slow changes you must know, have always occured, Cur planet has experienced periods of vast ce covers end glaciers as ‘well as almost ubiquitous tropical heat. In this Activity, you will see how parts of the world looked lite in the past. At what time? Do the ‘crossword and see what letters come in the yellow fields. The letters match those printed in the pictures and will ell you when the world looked as on the picture. [Esha] Sesame 2 150,000,000 years ago 20,000 years ago 1: Arid grassland spotted with small tress but without a closed tree cover (olution: Savannah) 2: Group of presen animals which ae the cosest relatives ofthe dinosaurs (solution: Birds) 3: Elephant like mammal which ved during the ke ages in Tundra (solution: Mammoth) yeats ago. ‘The polar regions of the world were covered by ice shields. n the northem hemisphere, these ice shields extended 10 most of Northern Europe and vast parts of North America, This image shows. hhow Spain looked lke at that time. pars age ‘This picture shows how the Sahara desert might have looked like at this time. It_was covered by vegetation and even trees. 4 erile Savannah inkabited by elephants, giraes and also humans ‘was atthe place where the biggest desert ofthe world is at present, __years ago. Dinosaurs dominated vast parts ofthe earth. The temperatures were higher than today and the air ‘more humid. Lush jungles covered most parts of the land area, Gobar Gyan What glaciers tell us about climate in the past Did you know that there are small bubbles of at trapped in glaciers? This air is approximately as od 25 the surounding ice in analysing the composition ofthe ait scientists can determine the greenhouse gas concentrations at that time and also the temperature. But how do we ‘now how old the air bubbles and the surrounding ice are? When snow falls in Antarctica and Greenland, most of it does not melt and accumulates for many years. The lower layers get compressed to jce and form glaciers Imagine it as a cake with multiple layers! Dring carefully through glaciers scientist can extract ice cores — reds of ice. On counting the number of layers from the top, they know ‘exactly when the ice was formed. The origin is analysed with air bubbles. 6 Se Schoo. eth cy Booknhouse es In the atmosphere, carbon usually pairs up with two oxygen atoms and takes the form of carbon dioxide (COz). The heat trapping properties of COz helps keep the Earth from freezing, by creating the greenhouse effect, In this, carbon, with a host of gases like methane, sulphate, chloride and nitrates, heat up the planet like a garden greenhouse. The problem is that there has been a rapid increase of CO2 in the atmosphere over the past 250 years. So, Planet Earth's temperatures remained nearly stable fo1 about 1,000 years, and then there wa: increase since 1800s. The main culprits are the fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas—the fumes of which contain Coz gas. Nature had, of course, provided an ‘in-built solution to ti Earth's ecological sinks oceans, soil and vegetation — “cleansing capacity Obviously. the world has now crossed this, $> limit. Many times over.Why talk about Greenhouse gas emissions? The world is warming because of increasing greenhouse gas concentrations in its atmosphere. Like a transparent blanket, greenhouse gases prevent the earth from radiat- {ng the sun's energy back into space. Consequently, the world thas already warmed up by approximately 0.8" C and could heat up by as much as 6° C Let's have a closer look at these greenhouse gases. What are they? When do you emit greenhouse gases? How are they removed from the atmosphere? And how can you lessen emissions and save the dimate? nreen Schools Network Name Class Date Carticatum Connect: These activities can be used by the higher secondary stadents to develop a ‘deeper understanding of the greenhouse phenomena and emissions. Students can take up these activities for ther project work by auditing the greenhouse gases responsible fr olobal warming in their residential area under science and geography. Gobar Gyan Greenhouse Gas Emissions in india 2007 How much greenhouse gases does India emit? ln 2007, the total emission of greenhouse gases in india was say gettin Reade ener cnsiyton 1,727. billion tonnes of CO, aw Yam I Conant potion equivalents. See the chart (rich to 1 os a te prtton find out which sources. they ner nasal poeses originate fom. The chart includes all _ greenhouse gases and the percentages show how much the ‘emissions of each source contibute Squre:Agawa i snd Na Snta 1998 Wag Fo, Gree ence Ga to global warming, Enum gona ene a see an Ear, tse, 21 Activity — 1 When do you produce greenhouse gases? 1. When you use electricity. Most of India's electricity is produced from fossil fuels such as coal Burning of coal produces larg amounts of Carbon dioxide (CO,), 2 major greenhouse gas When do you use electricity? Name ten activities here: CO, accounts for more than 70 percent of global warming, Its also emitted during the burning of petra, the fuel of our vehicles. Which vehicles does your farily own? Accounting for 17 percent of global warming, Methane (CH,) is another cucial greenhouse gas It produced during the degradation of waste in lancfls, burning of forests and rice paddies. Another big Methane source are the stomachs of ruminants. Can you name five domestic animal species which produce Methane?‘Anaiher oreenhouse gas, Nitrous Oxide (N,O) glabally contributes 10 percent to Climate Change. It is mainly produced through an intensive use of fertilisers. In India, N,O emissions are very low, ‘Ther are other greenhouse gases too. But the quantities in which they are emitted are so small that their contibution to global warming isnot sgnficant. Do any of your deity activities release greenhouse gases? Compile a list and compare it in your class. Don't despair if you just realised how you release greenhouse gases on a dally basis. Here, ve tell you ways to reduce your emissions inthe next activity. You can do a lot! Activity — 2 Reduce your CO, emissions: Here's how Yes, you can help fight Climate Change! 1. Plant a tree Teese real cimate savers, Why? Well, because they remove CO, from the atmosphere. They also give us shade and fruits. right? You could haveyeur own kitchen garden and save money while contributing to the environment. Start today. Plant a sree! See which place in your neighbourhood weuld te suitable to plant a tree and where could you cultivate fruits or vegetables. Who might want ‘ohelp you? Who could you ask for advice? 2.Save power Whether an AC cra fight bulb All appliances that consume electricity send greenhouse gosts into the air You can realy save the vironment by minimising your eleccty consumption. For example, turn off the Ights and TV when you leave the room. Lid ycu krow that our body works best at an outside temperature of around 25 °C? So, there isreally no need ta run a power guzzling AC to cool yeurheuse beyond this temperature. Also, many appliances like TV consume electricity when they are switched off but sill on stand by ‘mode. A plugged motile charger consumes elecricty even ifthe mobile isnot connected, To get rid of these energy vampires switch off the electrical sockets themselves If there areno switches. get a multiple socket with a switch, Simple, isn't it? Noteal the electical appliances in your house. For each appliance, note as meny ways to reduce ts energy consumption as possible. Be creative3.Go green Motorcycles, cars and buses all emit greenhouse gases in varying amounts. Did you know the more the number of people in the same ‘chide, the less is the amount of CO, emitted per passenger? This means that a bus is better for the climate than e car Please note that this thumb rule is not valid for aircrafts which are real climate killers. Unmotorised transport does not emit any CO, right? S0 walking, ‘ying and even bullock carts are very climate friendly modes of transport. Which mode of transport do you use in your daily lif? List them here. Can you shift to more climate friendly modes of transport? 4. Buy smart All products we buy, have, use or throw have been produced and transported. A lot of energy is consumed for this resulting in the release of greenhouse gases. Now, here's how you can reduce these hidden CO, emissions. 1. Buy only what you realy need. 2. Buy good quality ‘and durable products that last long. 3. Reuse or recycle. Sell recyclable waste to the kabadiwafah. Don't use praducts lke disposable cups or poly bags This will also reduce your trash ple. THE coBAR TIMES CREE Soe. Toe ACTIN Rook What ideas do you have to reduce your hidden CO, emissions? 5. Spread the knowledge The more you know about Climate Change, the more you can contribute o save the cimate. This book will give you alot of information tut don't leave it at thet. Read more about topics that interest you and share your knowledge with other. Try to motivate others to protect the climate. ‘Note whet you wish to Know more about, Also, might be interested to learn more from you about Climate Change, 6. Get a green job Ifyou teally want to make a difference, you can choose a profession that let’s you do just that! You could be a journalist who informs the public what they can do, an engineer tring to find out how to make solar over cheaper, a psychologist who explores how to motivate people to save energy, 2 scientist who tries to understand the climate better or a teacher who tells hiser students about global warning ‘There are thousands of green jobs! Do you already know what you want to become? See i you can lnk it to saving the climate Gobar Gyan How is CO, removed from the atmosphere? Have you ever wondered where all the material that forms the wood af ate othe leaves of a plant comes from? It cannot come from the soil alone. Plant a sapling and s2e it grow, The sapling will gow and the soil will remain intact, right? Well this goes to show thatthe ‘substance which forms tree's wood and a flowe's leaves comes from the atmosphere. You quessed it: CO, is consumed by plants through ther leaves and converted within their organism. CO, Chain Plants take up CO, from the atmosphere to grow and release it back when they decay The CO, is retained when the decay doesn't occu for ‘some time This hélps the climate. How? If CO, isin a tree end notin the atmosphere, it cannot at az 2 greenhouse gas and contribute to. Global warming! Ecosystems that remove CO, trom the atmosphere for a fong time are called CO, sinks. See EE eEnEEEEEE EEEActivity — 3 What is Photosynthesis? The pracess in which CO, gets converted Into biomass such as wood o1 leaves is called photosynthesis. Can you explain how photosynthesis works? Feel free to write or draw. Do you know photosynthesis takes place in which organisms? Think of terrestrial as well as aquatic organisms, Activity — 4 Neighbourhood sinks Draw a map of an area in your neightourhocd (sized one square kilometre). Mark major houses and roads, Next, go around and visit ditferen types of sinks lke tres, forests, seashores, welands or eny gieen area that you find. Estimate how lorg it takes forthe biomass init decay to find out which sink isthe most eficient. For example, n wetlands, biomass does not decay or if etal it decays very slowly. Tiss what makes them highly effective sinks, Gobar Gyan Oceans: Enormous CO, sinks Observe a glass of soda oF cold drink. Can you see the gas bubbles that make the liquid sparkle? These bubbles are made of CO, that ‘escape when you start drinking! ‘Oceans do exactly the opposite. They consume almost one-third ofthe CO, that humans ‘elease in the atmosphere. Fist, CO, gets dissolved in water Then, parts of it are cansumed by algae and other organisms through photosynthesis, When these organisms finally sink to the bottom of the ecean, the carbon contained in their bodies is trapped there for thousands of years, Oil and Gas: How are they formed Have you ever wondered how fossil fuels like oil, gas and coal are formed? The formation of oil and gas takes place over a period of million of years. They are essentially remains of oceanic organisms that sink to the sea flor and ere buried by sediments Overtime, there is an increase in the temprature, pressure and quantity of loaded sediments, By the way: The origin of coal is very similar. Do you have any idea how coal is formed?THE cORAR TOES cs coal | bal rming know for sure that the Earth is ing up and at an uncomfortably Tapid pace. Will we feel the heat? Unfortunately, yes. The most critical link between glaciers and climate is maintaining the earth’s water balance. In fact, it is already happening. Alaska’s melting glaciers, sea ice, and a type of frozen soil called permafrost, are adding an extra 0.3 millimetre a year to the | depth of oceans. Between the 1950s and 19905, Alaskan glaciers contributed only half that much water, The flow in the rivers that are fed by glaciers is also erratic now. They swell to dangerous heights in the rainy season and then get uncharacteristically dry during the rest of the year. And, of course, there have been dramatic changes in rainfall patterns. Ina ‘country as dependant on ‘monsoons and rivers for survival as India, such trends are ominous.Why talk about Impacts of global warming? Global warming will change India. First, twill change inia's primary fresh water source: the ‘monsoan. Second, it will lead to sing sea levels turning milion of peapie homeless. If imate Change continues unabatedly more than 120 milion people in South Asia would become cimate refugees. This equals to more than 10 times the number of people displaced during the partition, [Approximately half of the South Asian diate refugees would be inindia Let'sunderstand alittle better how global warming will change ‘our country. Howdo we depend ‘on the monsoon and how will the monsoon change? What can ‘we do fo prevent floods? Why nl sea levels rise end how will this affect the country? Find out inthis Acivity Sheet! Name CaS osenencen Date Curriculum Connect: These activities can be used by the higher secondary studeats to comprehend hnandon the greenhouse elfeet. Students can expand these activites far their project work under science, geography and political science subjects. Gobar Gyan The lurking water crisis On the one hand, there wil be too much water resulting in floods. On the other, freshwater will become an even more precious resource during most parts of the year Since the number of rainy days will decrease, less rainwater will be able to imitate the soll. Butit's exactly this infiltrating water which would recharge the groundwater and could then be extracted by humans in times of water scarcity Inthe long term, another (so fai) reliable freshwater resource will decrease. The melt water of uNeS RY TINA STActivity — ‘ny river or water body would have a certain number of people depending on it for their liveihood. They would be the best people to tell you about the real effects and cousesof river pollution, And it’ fun to interact with therm. Approach afisherman/woman, boatman/woman ora farmer by the riverside and find answers to the following questions: Name: Profession: How long has she been in the profession? And what chances dil s/he find in the condition of the river? What, according to them, are the major sources of potion of the river? ‘What kinds of birdsfish or other living beings are found in the water? Ater collecting information from the above sources think of 2 campaign you can do on river pollution in your city/town. Click ‘Photographs wile you are interviewing people and share your interviews with schoolmates and the larger community. Use films on river pollution to generate awareness. Faecal attraction’ is a fiim produced by the Centre fox Science and Environment, New Delhi which speaks ‘about a vanely of issues on river pollution. Do write to us to know more aoout the film. ESSENSE 1 18105 i 0 Sc. Tl THT ook oy wDams? Dams are symbol of modernisation. Over 48,000 fage dams are in operation Worldwide, And more are biing built to provi water igate land, produce hydropower and prevent floods. drinking Yet today: ‘= Over one billion people do rot have access to safe Crirking water © More than double that umber lack basic sanitation 1 Wobilion people have no access to electricity Aad those numbers are poised to se. To meet the growing demand for water and energy, more large dams are being proposed as a key solution. Chass. Date Curricutam Connect: These acivities can be used by secondary and higher secondary sludents for Seioneo, Economie and Sociology lessons on development and management of natural resources. Gobar Gyan For some time construction of dams had slowed down as decision-makers learned about their harmful effects, But in recent years, the number of new dam proposals has skyrocketed. You might say: "Yes, | know that'. You might also wonder what you have, as student, got to do with large dams, Let me ask you a few questions Finding answers to them will make you discover hhow you are connected to dams. Activity —1 I you lve ina city you get running water in your bathrooms electricity to run your appliances and of course the best of the food you can get in the market. Even people who lve inthe rural areas get electricity fora while and water to grow crops in their fields, Where does all his water and electricity come from? Ask your parents, elders, teachers, people at the electric sub station, people at the centval water tank and the vegetable vendor in the market, Look beyond the apparent sources Water: Electricity:Gobar Gyan ¥ ‘= Mallond DAMS IN INDIA As we have seen. dams ate associated with two crucial aspects of our 1m Sal Prec life— water and electricity — and these two are associated with our very = cuanera existence, In India most of the large dams are built by the National ‘Shakra Nong ydroelectrical Power Corporation NHPC) and the irigation department, - mporaton NAF) one array S2NGBK RET — si iver Tie COBAR TUMES GREEN ScHook NETWGRE AcTTY Boo. nip kota “ela. Activity — 2 sansa age eR tn Play the role of an inquisitive researcher. Use the internet to find out more een see about lerge dams Read about both the positive and negative aspects of arene Hira ams that are available on the web. Write them down in the space civen below: Good things: _ Gobar Gyan IF information gets fuzzy and you are confused seek guidance from your teachers and elders, Do not accept their opinion as the final vert Find out more and try to build an ‘pinion about big dams based on your research. What you think about ig dams also defines the kind of person you are. Activity — 3 Now that you Know so much about big dams express your opinion in the space given below. Write down why the big dams are good? And why are they bad? In the conclusion section write down the fnal verdict, weighing all the pros end cons. Take into count everything, that is, the amount we invest in them, the returns we get, their efficiency, what happens in case of natural disasters, their impact on the environment and people. ig dams are good because: Big dams are bad because: Conclusion: 4otemperature increase of only one degree Celsius caused by CO2 emissions could lead to more than 20,000 deaths. Now, think about all the CO2 emissions you cause in your day-to-day chores. m Every km you walk or cycle, you exhale 3 gms of CO2. And if you happen to travel the same distance by a diesel car, you would be adding 208 gms of C02 to the atmosphere. 1 In India, 1,727 billion tonnes of CO2 were emitted in 2007. And the volume keeps increasing. ™ The 25-km long Gangotri glacier is Tetreating by more than 16.5 metres every year. If this continues, it won't be long before the entire glacier disappears. Want to know more?Curriculum Connect: These activities can be taken up alter the completion of Science and Geogra- phy chapters on Air Composition and Climate Change. They will help secondary and higher sec- ‘ondary stuents understand their contritution fo pollution, ee Gobar Gyan | What goes around comes around! While CO, maintains the creenhouse effect of the earth keeping the earth warm, an increase in the amount of CO, in the atmosphere has led to glabel warming. The climate change that takes place due to an incease in the CO, concentration is largely irreversible for 1,000 years after emissions stop. CO, emissions don t ust cause glabal warming, they fe also a major source of ai pollution, Seentfc ‘experts row believe the wold faces an epidemic ofilnesses that are exacerbated by ar pollution. These illnesses incude cardiovascular disease, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary ¢isease, lung cancer and diabetes. Our ransportvehicies are largely responsible for these harmful CO, emissions inthe atmosphere that cause air pollution and clmate change. But we need transport for movement, s0 how do we contral these emissions? Are we going wrong somewhere? Let's find out. fave aes Earth’s atmosphere has Typeot vehicle | CO, emissions | Distance between | CO, emitted each day. pasbiel ahalaye sete! per km yyourhouseand | (CO, emissions per km xkms Cais samen Schoolinians | traveled xno. of rips made) GHG allows ightradiationto | Two wheeler | _28qn/km Diss Hon alee ace T8gnlkm Ty ; ome of the heat radiating the eee eee se | Diese ar ~ 208gm/kon ‘the earth's surface and Petrol cars ~ 223gm/km_ atmosphere to be 33 degrees ‘Mini Buses 300gnvkm elses warmer than itwould | paseo SER otherwise be. But things ae 2 y have dastically changed ; after the industrial revolution; TRE CO, facts: large-scale burning of fossil while Bhutan, Afghanistan, Nepal, Zmbabwe, Srilanka, New Zealand and Hong Kong emit 0.1 percent of the total CO, emissions, US alone contributes a 22.2 percent (the highest) India ranks Sth with 4.9 percent. © A stanford University study tas found that foreach one degree Celsius ease in temperature caused by CO, emissions, the resulting air pollution could lead to more than 20,000 deaths worldwide every year with many more cases of respiratory illnesses and asthma. Example: if you usea diesel car to go to schoo}, which is 6 kms from your house, you emit 208gns x 6kms x dtrps* = 4992 gms (approx. 5 kg) of CO, in one day. ("Remember each time you are cropped off at schoal, the driver has to drive back. So there are two round tips a day) 2 i HT i : OeFeo nit Ee. ut 0, rit fl sr re Ye ses Sarg ty ‘lth bs. Therefore, if you schoo is 8 kms away the otal CO, emissions made by you are: 515gm x Bkm x 2 tips ~ 8240 gms ~ 8.2 kgs e240 50 Compare your results with your class. Incites accoss the giobe, the personal automobile is the single greatest polluter as emissions froma billion vehicles on the road add up to a planet-vide problem. Driving a private car is a 'ypicl aizer’s most air polluting activity. The negative effects of automobile emissions are maximum when you sit in traffic surrounded by cars their engines idling. Everyone in traffic jam isgeting poisoned and our atmasphere, choked, Ernissions per person = 249 _ 164 gmsi srunesay WoL \Vehices with poor gas mileage contribute the most to global warning, Te cnly way to save us from this ongoing ‘self-destruction’ isto reduce the number of vehicles cn the roads by switching to mass \ransit, Yur caleulations from the above activity would have revealed the same Mass transit systems are not just environment-friendly but also more nergy efficient. AM governments invest 2 huge amount of capital in the public transport industry forthe convenience of its people. Name the public transport availabe in your city Tick the ones you can use for commuting to school Calculate the carbon emissions for each one of them and compare the results with those of your private vice Public Transport Transport Ican use CO, emissions 1 2 1 2 1 2 a 4 ay § 3 4 The Reduce Carbon Dioxide eMiission’! (1 pound = 0.453 592 37 kilogram) Reduce the amount of emissions by walking, biking, carpooling or taking mass transit wherever possible: Avoiding {ist 16kms of driving every week would save about 500 pounds of CO, emissions a year! Walking and biking will also keep you it. Ask your parents to hep their cars tured up. check tyres weekly to make sure theyre prope inflated. and when iis tne fora new car choose more iuetefficien vehicle, ‘© Support local farmers’ markets: They ‘educe the amount of energy requied to transport food to you by ome-fith and you also get to save good money. ry ard buy organic foods as much as possible, You coud also do a quick check at home and save a lot more CO, emissions, that originate in the household. Go for compact fluorescent (cf) light bulbs and tube lights: Save oy, Edpacert ney (and your money) and about 300 pounds of CO, emisions a year "99 2002 2003 210 2015 m9 2025. 2050 Clearlreplace filters on your furnace and air conditioners: Save i cin Cont andSouhAmenca HL Alco Ml Alico 350 pounds of CO, emisionsayeat also enutes faster cooling Bi mosetat one nen orcoase fi naa © Choose energy efficient appliances vnen making new purcheses. —[-) cha) Astalaew Zand [-] South kuea © Use less hot water: Hoating wate takes upalt of energy Use ss hot [ann the Nan O4C0 Ercan wate by instllinga low flow showerhead (350 poursof CO, sared per |G] fame year) and washing your clothes in cold or warm water (500 pounds saved | Bl Carade per yea) # Use a clothesline instead of a dryer whenever possible: Sove 100 pounds of CO, emissions in sx months ume. Tum off electronic devices you're not using: This wil save us thousands of pounds of CO, emissions every year © Buy recycled paper products: it takes 70 to 90 percent less energy to make recycled paper and it also prevents the loss of forests, which ae'carbon sinks’ worldwide. Besides, these products are more aesthetic e : and presentable.a ASSORTED £205 1005 to wes ey tv Why talk about Global Warming? Se How does it matter if the ‘earth gets warmer by one or two dearees? Life still goes on right? Now, remember the last time you had fever. Your body temperature must have been 99 oF 100, ust 1 or 2 degrees above normal. Did life stil go on? NO! It's high time we realise that earth's got fever and we don't have any medicines. We just have to take care of it. We are adding gases to the atmosphere that have a raving for heat and trap it — greenhouse gases (GHG) like mainly carbon dioxide (CO), methane and water vapour. How? Primarily by using carbon-based fossil fuels like coal, gas and ail, as we go about doing our daity business, perhaps! ireEw Schouls Network Name Class Date Curricutom Connect: These activities can be taken up after completing Scianco and Geography lessons on environmental pollution. This sheet will help upper primary, secondary and higher secondary students understand the causes and effects of pollutfon. Gobar Gyan Remember the last time you parked your car in the sun and came back later into 'an oven ofa car The temperature inside the car Increases as the heat is trapped inside, while the windows are closed (sit the greenhouse effect?) Well, mast often we immediately open the windows of the car to bring the temperature down. But how will we open the windows when the same thing happens to our earth? Activity —1 Find out: How do people in your class commute to school? Mode of Transport No. of Students Travelling Walking cycling Schoo! Bus Private Bus Personal Car Others What do the above numbers tell you? Do they reveal any patterns? Compare this data with a neighbouring class. Can we, as school students, do something 10 reduce the GHG emissions? Gobar Gyan If travelling by bus produces the leest amount of CO, then why don’t people travel by such means? What stops people from travelling by mass transit? It is surely a matter of research, Also, cycle would be such a fine means of transport but one doesn’t find many of them on the roads these days. Why? Find out.